Bitter Winds
by 8EternallyMortal8
Summary: A day of Christmas shopping spins out of control when Percy goes to seek out the cause of the blizzards that have been pelting New York, burying the city in icy snow. And how will the culprit feel when they find the hero isn't quite at the peek of condition. Sick!Percy Percabeth
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, happy December 1st! :D So, I've got this Christmas Special Two-Shot just sitting here, begging for me to publish it. Now, I know that it's not the 25th yet, but the setting of the first chapter is earlier on anyway, so here's a little something for you guys to chew on while you're waiting for Christmas.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of those temperamental Olympians sitting on their lazy bums up on the 600th floor. They're all yours, Rick.**

Bitter Winds

Two Shot

Third Person

Percy's POV

Percy hefted his sword and sluggishly dodged the attack of the being before him. He attempted to duck behind a wall as the figure hurled another shard of the sharpened ice toward him, just barely reaching the safety of the structure. Percy leaned against the surface, muscles aching and head throbbing. He shut his eyes tightly as another wave of dizziness spread over him, adding to his exhaustion. And the worst part? It had absolutely nothing to do with the battle.

A wave of cold washed over the building, and the son of Poseidon remembered why he was there.

Dangerous snow storms had been blowing in from all around the country, most of the damage centering in New York. As far as Percy could tell, some god out there was having a major temper tantrum, and he had a pretty good guess of which one. The green eyed demigod had gone to investigate, but right about now, Percy was wishing he hadn't strayed from his Christmas shopping to find the snow goddess. Warmth was sounding pretty good, and the half-blood was starting to realize just how much he appreciated living in a building without holes in it.

"Come out, son of the sea god!" called the scrawny Boread. "Make it easier on yourself, demigod; surrender now to us."

"Zethes, you idiot," came a new voice, this one feminine. "Stop shouting like the incompetent fool you are and get the demigod for me! I'm not here with you and your brother simply for the pleasure of your company."

Percy couldn't quite make out whose voice it was through his lethargic haze, but he knew that one more person meant bad news. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the son of Poseidon went over what she had said. Behind his throbbing headache, the words "your brother" were repeating over and over again. He couldn't quite figure it out, mostly since it was only making his headache worse. What did it-

Something grabbed the back of his jacket, hoisting him into the air.

"Found him!" yelled a slightly deeper, more excited voice.

Oh, so that's what it meant.

Distantly, Percy could hear approaching footsteps. The boy had the sudden thought of calling Mrs. O'Leary, but the very idea seemed far away, and he couldn't even find the strength to raise his hand, let alone to whistle.

_What's happening to me? _Percy wondered through his aching skull.

Blinking open heavy eyelids, Percy saw the scrawny figure from before - Zithy? No, no. It was... it was... He couldn't remember, and his brain was too tired to try. Next to the guy, though, was a teenage girl. She looked vaguely like someone Leo had mentioned before. Yes, him and Jason and Piper. A thought struck Percy - the snow storms. He had already thought about this, hadn't he? Something about finding a goddess? Christmas shopping?

"Khione." Percy muttered before everything went black.

***Line Break***

Percy woke up in a freezing cold room, chain segments restricting his arms and legs and connecting to the wall. The walls were covered with ice, and Percy was fairly certain that if he could feel anything, it would parallel somewhat to being stuck in a freezer. The demigod knew the bonds were hardly necessary in his state, but he couldn't quite tell if the numbness was from the cold, or from the distant, fuzzy feeling of exhaustion that had carried through from earlier. Either way, Percy could barely even lift his head, let alone escape.

The door opened in front of him, and Khione entered, followed by her two goons. Their forms seemed muddied to the boy, and squinting didn't seem to be helping in dissipating the black around his vision. Of course, the son of Poseidon found he couldn't do much _more _than squint. He was having trouble simply keeping his eyes open.

The boy moaned, not finding the will to speak.

"Perseus Jackson." came a muddled voice, almost as if it were speaking through a pillow. The raven haired teen tried to distinguish who's voice it was, but his throbbing head was making it difficult. It sounded higher - maybe female - but it could've been that other guy from the warehouse.

The voices became indistinguishable, and the room began to spin as the noises became louder and softer, overlapping one another. A shadow approached through the haze, and Percy's vision swam as he felt an unbearably cold hand rest on his forehead. The blackness creeped up from the corners of his vision, and everything went dark.

Third Person

Khione's POV

The snow goddess jerked her hand back from the boy's forehead. It was burning, much more so than any normal mortal temperature. She stood, breathing out an ancient curse under her breath. She knew what this was; oh, did she ever know what this was. She caused hundreds of cases every year all around the world, but the Hero of Olympus?

Khione paced the room. She had been careless with her snowstorms. Of course, the blizzards had been purposeful; in fact, she had planned on luring the demigod into her trap, and he had even taken the bait. Everything had gone perfectly, except for one factor: Khione's own storm had foiled her plot.

The goddess cursed again.

"Sister?" Zethes asked hesitantly.

"Damn the Fates." she roared in outrage. _"Damn the Fates!"_

"Snow lady?" Cal, Zethes' brother, asked, just as nervously.

"Bring the boy." their mistress called, storming out of the room. "There's been a change of plans."

"But we just moved him." Zethes whined. "Why can't you have Cal do it? These fantastic arms were not made for lifting useless heroes."

She rounded on him. "Do not ask me why." the snow goddess snapped, and her eyes seemed to gleam with an icy fire. "You will move the demigod, and you will do it without question."

The boys backed off, slowly edging towards the room, and even through her anger, Khione could feel a slight tinge of satisfaction.

***Line Break***

Khione stared angrily at the bed, arms crossed. Perseus Jackson lay helpless in front of her, still unconscious from his most recent black-out. The snow goddess had had Zethes and Calais move the son of Poseidon from the ice prison to a more stable portion of the crumbling abandoned hotel. Obviously, being in the cold wasn't going to help Jackson get any better.

Khoine growled in frustration. She made snowstorms; it was her job; it was just natural to think they might cause disasters and illnesses to spread. The problem was, that was where it stopped. Khoine _caused _illnesses, but that didn't mean she knew how to fix them. She'd never thought she'd be in a situation where she'd _have_ too. But now, with the Hero of Olympus growing weaker by the second, she knew that something would have to be done, and she would have to be the one to do it.

Influenza.

The demigod hero had influenza, and it was completely and utterly her fault.

Khione hadn't told her brothers what the problem was; oh, no, she was too angry and humiliated for _that_. That stupid Piper girl had already put doubt into her brothers' minds about the extent of her power, and, as lowly as the incompetent fools were, if she botched up another plan, they might start to realize just how right the daughter of Aphrodite was. As much as she hated to admit it, the Boread goddess felt like dirt. She'd been trampled and tarnished and put to shame all too much over the past year. Even though she had survived the Giant War, Khione was still at wits' end. Gaea's forces had been greatly reduced, and now she was stuck with her ridiculous, bumbling half-brothers. Even her own _father_ had thrown them out, accusing her of tricking him and using his fragile state against him! (Of course, she _had_; she truly just couldn't have resisted. But that wasn't the point!) But now, the snow goddess had nowhere to go and very little power at her disposal. Kidnapping the leader of the Greeks should've solved that problem, but she had even managed to mess _that_ up.

And now she would have to play nurse.

Just great.

The being had never really spent much time on the thought of medical practice or healing. The association was too close to Apollo, and she had never really liked him. He basked in warmth; she immersed herself with cold. He healed illnesses; she created disease. She hated him and his stupid self-centered lifestyle with her whole being, and now she was going to have to take a page from his book.

Well, if she was taking the page, she might as well rip it out; at least then he wouldn't be able to use it again.

Apollo was her opposite. He gave off heat while Khione gave off cold. If cold, by mortal standards, was the lack of heat (which was, by the way, a very insulting theory), than what was the lack of cold?

Khoine inhaled a slow breath and pulled back.

The goddess had never tried to take in cold before; usually she was the one _generating_ it. It was a strange feeling, like all of the air was being sucked from the room. It took Khione a moment to realize that it _was_. Being a daughter of Boreas, she supposed that her powers were thus connected to the wind. Khione cursed and used all of her force to push the element back into the room. Lack of cold wouldn't do the boy any good if it also meant lack of oxygen.

The girl glanced over at the son of Poseidon and growled. If anything, her venture had only made the situation worse; now the boy was shivering even _more_ furiously.

"Ambrosia." Khione mumbled. Her eyes scanned the room searching for the food of the gods.

_"Tartarus,"_ the deity cursed as she remembered where the healing food was stored. She cursed again when she realized she couldn't just flash into the master suite. Zethes and Cal had claimed the space so that they could turn it into a skating rink while they watched hockey. If they caught her flashing in, her annoying brothers would be sure to ask her why she was up there.

Khione sighed in exasperation. This was all Jackson's fault.

The snow goddess crept out into the hallway, glancing back at the shivering demigod before slinking out the door. The black haired deity silently glided up the ice-formed steps that bridged a gap in the building and lead upwards. As she reached the upper suite, Khione took a breath and slid through a crack in the door.

From the next room, Khione could hear the sound of Hephaestus TV blaring. Hopefully that meant that her dim-witted brothers were distracted and safely distanced from the bar. Sneaking through the complex, she reached the bar and opened the lowest cabinet, grabbing a block of the frozen substance.

"Khione?"

The being jumped and then froze. She slowly turned around. False anger shown on her features, covering for her shakiness.

"Zethes! What have I told you about sneaking up on me?"

The half-blood took a step or two back, but resumed speaking seconds later, almost un-phased by the goddess's anger. Her resolve wavered for a moment before she once again solidified her mask of anger.

"Sister," Zethes continued, "You came for a snack?"

"And why else would I be up here?" snapped the Boread princess. "I'm not up here for _you_, if that's what your wondering."

She flashed out, materializing back in the bedroom. The goddess exhaled a puff of relief. Khione held up the frozen block of ambrosia and looked down between the god food and the motionless demigod. The snow goddess hesitated before tearing off a chunk from the block and awkwardly lowered herself to the edge of the bed. Weighing the piece in her hand, the girl hovered it over the fevered boy's mouth. Khione attempted to feed Perseus the corner of ambrosia, but, even in his week state, the half-blood struggled subconsciously against her grip.

The goddess gripped the boy tightly and forced the food of the gods down his throat. Instead of decreasing his fever, though, the ambrosia only seemed to make it worse. Percy groaned in his uneasy sleep as his forehead grew warmer and his shivering rose to a whole new level.

_You should've used nectar, _spoke the sun god's voice in her head. _I would've used nectar; it would've been much more effective. Of course, water would've worked best, but-_

_I don't need your help, _she snapped back.

_Then why did you give him ambrosia?_

_Shut up, Phobias; stay out of my head, for once!_

_Well, I can't be there in person; I'm not allowed on your territory, remember? That wasn't very nice of you, by the way, putting that restriction on me. Besides, your just angry that I didn't contact you earlier._

Khione walked out of the room, leaving the presence of the sickly demigod.

_You know just as well as I do that Boreads don't use nectar. If we can't freeze it, we don't like it. Stop bothering me unless you have something remotely intelligent to say._

_Come on, Khione. _Apollo spoke, suddenly serious. _Neither of us want the boy to die, even if we have our different reasons. You know what you have to do, whether you like it or not._

Khione's gaze wondered back to the bedroom. Either way, she would lose.

The snow goddess stared out the grimy window of the hotel at the city before her. She could see the lights of the buildings mingling with the glow of green, blue, and red through the snow. She had never fully understood the mortal holiday of Christmas, let alone celebrated it, but maybe...

The girl, feeling suddenly very small in a big city that had never intimidated her before in her long, immortal life, pulled a golden coin from her pocket and made the call.

Third Person

Annabeth's POV

By the time Annabeth got there, it was already getting late. Ever since the unanimous IM had come in, the daughter of Athena had had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. As she stared up at the abandoned hotel, the horrible feeling began to grow. Storms had been raging for weeks, and, even though they seemed to have stopped, the weight of the snow piled on the building made her fear it would collapse. Annabeth wondered, not for the first time, if this was a trap. After all, the only thing that the IM had shown her was the bare building; a shadow of foreboding fell over her, but the child of wisdom pushed herself forward and climbed inside.

Annabeth crept through the halls and climbed flights of stairs, jumping the gaps in the crumbling structure. Finally, just when she was feeling ready to turn back, the half-blood reached the eighteenth floor. Further down the hall, a door was cracked open, sending a sliver of light skittering down the corridor. The gray eyed girl pressed herself against the wall, moving cautiously toward the door. Knuckles white from gripping her sword, the half-blood pushed the door open and jumped to the opening, weapon out and ready for a fight.

What she saw made her drop her sword in shock.

Eyes wide, Annabeth let out a whispered breath of shock and panic.

"Percy."

"Oh, gods," the blonde rushed forward, panic seizing hold of her. She knelt by the bed, hands flying to check for a pulse. Percy shivered under her touch, proving that he was at least alive, but his skin burned under Annabeth's fingers, sending her into a panic that immediately swallowed any relief.

Annabeth's hands gripped her pack, rifling through for her water bottle. She knew it was dangerous to use water in such cold temperatures, but it was all she could think to do. The demigod hadn't had the chance to restock her ambrosia and nectar, but, even if she had, she knew it would be too dangerous to use it. Percy's fever was dangerously high, and god-food would only make it worse.

Annabeth propped up her boyfriend as gently as possible, slowly pouring water from the bottle down his throat. The boy let out a weak cough before blinking his eyes open.

"Thank the gods." Annabeth breathed, wetness pricking at her eyes.

The son of Poseidon blinked up at her, disoriented.

"Annabeth?"

She gripped his hand, feeling a momentary sense of relief wash over her. "Oh, gods, Seaweed Brain; what are you doing here?"

The boy looked almost too tired to even be confused, but he managed to slur out a rambled chain of words: something about a Zithy - whatever that was - a coin, and hockey. Annabeth wasn't sure quite what it all meant, but she was glad that he was O.K. ... well, for the moment, anyway.

That brought the half-blood back to reality. The daughter of Athena was silent for a few moments, listening carefully. She looked reluctantly down at her boyfriend and stopped in a deep feeling of hesitation before slowly rising from her position by the bed. Percy's week grip struggled to follow her as she went, and a noise of slight panic came from his throat.

"It's- It's O.K., Percy," She laid his hand beside him on the bed and pressed it into the covers. "I'll be back; I just have to check on something."

She crept to the bedroom door and scooped up her sword, restraining herself from looking back. She knew that if she did, she'd have to stay, and that could end up killing the both of them.

Annabeth edged out the door and up the last flight of stairs, making her way toward the master suite. She hadn't heard anything from bellow, but that just made her all the more suspicious. The blonde opened the door and snuck quietly through the apartment, but found nothing. But why would someone draw Percy here, and her as well, and then not set a trap? It just didn't make sense.

But, as Annabeth drew back to leave, she saw it. Written on the entrance door in beautifully scripted white frost were two words she would've never expected:

_'Merry Christmas'_

As Annabeth made her way back down the stairs, she stopped and spared a moment to look out at the city lights. She didn't know if anyone was listening, but she whispered it anyway, a quick phrase that meant both nothing and everything.

_"Thank you."_

For a silent moment, there was nothing, but, as Annabeth turned away, she felt a hesitant breeze swirl around her. After a second, it was gone.

_Maybe,_ thought Annabeth, _the Fates really are smiling on us._

And with a new feeling of reassurance, the girl headed back down the hall, pulling out her phone to call Sally.

Maybe this would be a good Christmas after all.

**So, I know it's been a while since I updated, but I'm almost at the draft of the climax of To Trust, To Lie, so hopefully I'll be able to start uploading that sometime after Christmas break.**

**Speaking of Christmas, the next chapter of this is going to be focused either on the 24th or the 25th. Don't worry Percabeth fans, you'll get your gushy-mushy holiday. If you haven't noticed, I'm a girl who likes to focus mostly on action and adventure scenes in my stories (don't worry, I still love Percy and Annabeth. My writing style just happens to center on the action, not the romance),so this is my very rare and very precious Christmas gift to you. And, for everyone who loves Percabeth just as much as I do, have a very merry ****Christmas.**

**'Til next time, minions,**

**-8EternallyMortal8**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, Merry Christmas! Now I know that it technically isn't Christmas yet, at least not where I live, but I was too excited to wait any longer. So Merry Christmas Eve, I guess. :D I'm back with the next chapter for all of you eager minions. This chapter took a lot of effort for me because I had to incorporate so much into it and yet have it still come out well-rounded and easy to read. I really hope you guys enjoy it; read, review, and enjoy, my minions! ;D**

**FourthWallBreaker - That sounds like one of Rick's chapter titles: ****_I get a monster for Christmas._**** But no, no monsters. Just a whole lot of bitterness from Khione, as the title suggests. ;)**

**Don't touch my Seaweed Brain - I agree completely on the Khione thing. Anyway, here's the next chapter. You get to hear my interesting spin on why Khione is so... cold. :)**

**AngelGirl2000 - Thanks! That's exactly what I was aiming for. :D Also, thank you so much for the Favorite; it means a lot.**

**Thank you to Stars1317 for Following and Favoriting this story, to WiseGirlOnFire and httydgirl293 for Following it, and to Sora Loves Rain and again to AngelGirl2000 for Favoriting it.**

**Dedication: To Don't touch my Seaweed Brain, AngelGirl2000, and to my sister, FourthWallBreaker. You guys rock. Have a very merry Christmas. ;D**

**Disclaimer: Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not the one writing Blood of Olympus, or else you guys would've had a sneak-peek by now. ;)**

Chapter 2

Third Person

Percy's POV

The peaceful silence of Christmas morning at the Jackson house was broken by the spontaneous sound of loud sneezing. Percy groaned and fell back onto his pillow. Christmas had been an interesting time for him ever since he'd become a demigod: Two years ago he had spent it with Thalia and Nico on a quest; last year, he had been abducted by a goddess and had missed the event entirely; this year it looked like he'd be spending it recovering from the flu.

Well, in all truth, the flu had pretty much puttered out by this point. In the end, it had turned into a terrible cold. Spending Christmas with a box of Kleenex, blowing his overly-stuffed up nose every three minutes was _not_ how the son of Poseidon had envisioned his holiday.

Besides that, he hadn't gotten the chance to finish present shopping, and his mother and Annabeth had taken shifts watching him to make sure he didn't try anything again in his condition.

That was one good thing about his this Christmas: Annabeth was here.

Percy didn't mind being pushed around a bit by his mother and girlfriend. If one started babying him too much, the other one was there to remind everyone that Percy was a big boy. Although, the demigod couldn't honestly say that he didn't love being pampered at least a little bit. The worst part of being sick was that Annabeth couldn't kiss him, but he'd get over it.

Percy groggily peeked over at the clock on his bed-side table. The half-blood cursed in Greek, only to be interrupted by a string of sneezes, all in quick succession. The next biggest downside to being sick was that you woke up at three in the morning with a light head and a stuffy nose. The raven haired boy reached for the Kleenex box; if he was going to be awake for a while, he might as well make use of his time.

Third Person

Annabeth's POV

Annabeth stared at the digital clock on the nightstand of the Jackson's guest room. She let out a sigh as the sound of her boyfriend's rapid-fire sneezing filled the apartment. The daughter of Athena slipped her feat out from under the covers and onto the cold floor. She padded out of the room, heading towards the kitchen. As she passed his room, the blonde peeked in to see Percy's bed immersed in crumpled Kleenex. The green eyed seventeen year old was staring at the ceiling helplessly, exhaustion written on his features. As she passed, the boy's face scrunched up in a frozen expression before another sneeze shot out of his mouth like a cannon. This one was a mix of cough and sneeze. Annabeth winced before finally reaching the cooking area. It was time to get the shivering boy some hot-cocoa. His bed was already covered in germs and used Kleenex; a little spilled hot chocolate wouldn't hurt anybody - unless, of course, Percy spilled it on _himself_, but that couldn't be helped.

The girl stumbled around in the dark, grabbing a mug and a packet of chocolate powder. She thought about turning on the light, but - if it was even possible that Sally and Mr. Blofis were still asleep - she didn't want to disturb the adults. The daughter of Athena headed towards the microwave with the now full mug, but when she hit the start button, the machine didn't work. Annabeth tugged on the cord, but found that it was indeed plugged in. What was going on?

The gray eyed girl stumbled over to the light switch and flicked it up.

The light didn't turn on.

Annabeth groaned before peeking out the window. It was pouring down snow and sleet again. Whatever divine being was controlling the weather, they were angry - or, in the very least, grumpy. The child of wisdom frowned. She had thought for sure most of the bad storms had stopped around the time she found Percy in that abandoned hotel, but, a few weeks later, the snow started up again. Percy had told her about Khione and her brothers, but neither of them could figure out who had helped him and contacted Annabeth. Percy's memory of that day had been too muddled by fever and delirium to be of much help.

At any rate, Khione and her siblings were still out there, and they seemed to be doing their best to make Christmas as miserable as possible.

The blonde haired demigod stared at the cup of cold-chocolate. This was going to be a long holiday; Percy would just have to survive.

Third Person

Khione's POV

The snow goddess stared through the window of the Jackson apartment. She should be happy - she'd successfully ruined the mortal holiday for these pathetic little demigods - so why was she just as miserable?

When she had released the son of Poseidon, Khione thought she might've felt a little bit better, but she had only felt more desperate to prove herself. For the ice princess, there was a fine line between desperation and fury.

That line had been crossed.

It could be said that Khione was pouting, but saying it out loud was more likely to win you a very long life as a frozen statue than anything else. That was probably the only reason her half-brothers hadn't said anything yet. Khione wouldn't admit it, of course, but she knew it just as well as anyone else. Had she really been foolish enough to let herself be duped by Apollo - _Apollo_ - into attempting to celebrate a mortal holiday? Well, mortals could keep their stupid Christmas. The immortal snow queen would simply make it as miserable as possible, _especially_ for Perseus Jackson.

Khione clutched at her arms, feeling a chill that wasn't from the bitter air. Maybe sharing her misery would make her happy. Maybe she wouldn't be the only one feeling so alone this Christmas.

Third Person

Paul's POV

The first thing he heard was the crash.

Paul shot up in bed, looking towards the hallway. He could sense Sally in the darkness next to him, wide awake and clearly startled. Their eyes met and her's flickered from him to the door before she rose from the mattress. The English teacher stumbled after her in hast while still attempting to be silent. He had always been amazed at how quickly Sally could turn from a kind, timid woman into a bold, calm hunter. Well, at least she could _seem_ timid. If Percy was in danger, she was there and she was ready for anything her little boy needed.

That was what scared Paul the most: Percy was a big boy now, and he could handle more than most. If there was something even Percy couldn't fight, than how was his mother going to protect him?

And how could Paul ever protect her?

The two adults stepped out into the hallway, Sally gripping the flashlight she had grabbed from their bedside table as if it were a deadly weapon. They crept forward in the darkness, and Paul tensed, ready to defend his wife.

Something was twitching and twisting on the floor in front of them, right in front of the open door to Percy's room. Sally brought out the flashlight, pointing it at the thing on the floor. She flicked on the switch.

Percy finally freed his head from under the comforter only to find a piercing light shining in his eyes. "Gaah, mom, turn it off!"

Annabeth came running in from the living area. "What happened? Percy?"

"My clock stopped working." the groggy-eyed teenager voiced, "and I wanted to know why the house is getting so cold."

Paul suddenly noticed the drop in temperature. He reached over and flicked the light switch up; the hallway remained dark.

"The power's out." Annabeth told them. "She must've done something to the heating, too."

"Who?" Sally asked, "That snow woman you mentioned earlier?"

Percy sneezed.

"Khione?" asked the green eyed demigod. "I thought she was gonna leave us alone."

The hall way went quiet.

Percy sighed, "O.K., so maybe I was just _hoping_ she would leave us alone."

"Either way," Annabeth spoke, "staying here isn't going to help anybody. We should move to a different room. Maybe if we're all together it'll be easier to stay warm."

Sally held him back. "Paul, why don't you and I get the candles."

The two adults retrieved a box from the hallway closet before heading towards the kitchen. Percy and Annabeth had apparently found one in the cupboards, and Paul and Sally walked in to find the son of Poseidon attempting to roast a marshmallow over the flame.

"That's not going to work very well, Seaweed Brain." the daughter of Athena told him, sitting down. "Unless, of course you're interested in a scented lump of charr."

Paul saw his step-son playfully glare her way before his face froze. He sneezed, putting out the candle flame.

"Don't forget to cover your mouth, sweetie." the boy's mother told him, relighting the candle and depositing the compromised marshmallow in the garbage. "You don't want to get Annabeth sick."

Mr. Blofis smiled, "Then we'll have _two_ of you wandering around."

"Sorry for waking you guys up." Percy interjected as Annabeth handed him another Kleenex box. "I'll try not to make to much noise if you want to go back to bed."

"It's all right, Percy." Paul voiced, "I don't think any of us could sleep anyway at this point."

"Paul's right." Sally told them, "We won't be going back to bed in this cold."

"We could move into the living room." Annabeth suggested. Percy groaned. "You mean I have to move again?"

His girlfriend smiled. "If you want warmth and minimal vision, yes."

Third Person

Percy's POV

The raven haired son of Poseidon felt genuine relief as he slumped onto the cushiony sofa. He opened up his blanketed arms, looking at Annabeth expectantly.

"What?"

The blonde just stared at him as if he were half insane.

"You promised me warmth." Percy told her. "Now you have to cuddle with me."

"You're joking."

"I missed last Christmas," the boy spoke indignantly. "The least you can do is not deprive me of this one. Besides, my arms are getting tired; either you come now or I'm keeping the blanket all to myself."

The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes, but she eased down next to him. He could feel her hesitation, but slowly she leaned into him.

Paul and his mom had unloaded the box of candles and had them all lit: a total of 12, the number of the council of Olympian gods. Well, the gods that were officially counted, anyway.

The night lapsed into comfortable conversation, and slowly the sky began to lighten. The snow never let up, though; if anything, it had only gotten worse. Percy's cold wasn't getting any better either. By 5:30 he had used up a total of four Kleenex boxes, and he was still going strong. His nose was raw and sore, and he and Annabeth were spread across a couch littered with dirty tissues. They had a trash can, but that was already brimming and the Fates had chosen just this moment to let them run out of bags. The power still hadn't come back on, and the house had reached an icy temperature so low that Percy was certain their thermometer was either malfunctioning or broken. He didn't mind, though. The demigod was still snuggled up to his girlfriend. Annabeth seemed to have adjusted into a complete aura of comfort after a few hours. Now she was enjoying the son of Poseidon's company just like she normally did. Of course, she still hadn't kissed him yet, but Percy was working on it.

The dark haired demigod was presently preoccupying himself with sacrificing marshmallows to the gods. He hoped that his dad and Apollo appreciated scented lumps of charr, or else he was sunk. Although, the half-blood had a feeling he would have to suffer through this cold by himself anyway.

Suddenly there came the sound of a violent sneeze. And then another. And then another.

The occupants of the room turned to stare at Annabeth. Well, maybe he wouldn't have to suffer alone.

Percy's mother had a hand over her mouth. "Oh, Annabeth."

"Welcome to the club, Wise Girl." the son of the sea god spoke, grinning. He leaned into her until he was a mere inches from her face. "So, ah, do I get that 'forbidden kiss' now?"

The daughter of Athena looked about to push him away, but she apparently changed her mind mid-movement. The girl sighed before her features broke out into a small smile mirroring his. She pulled him closer and touched her lips to his. If Athena had been there, she probably would've incinerated him for being a malicious influence on her favorite daughter.

To Tartarus with Athena. She could do whatever she wanted; kissing Annabeth was worth it.

Third Person

Khione's POV

After a full two and a half hours of demigod observation, Khione still hadn't seen any results.

Or, at least, not the kind that she was looking for.

It irked the snow goddess how annoyingly happy these half-bloods could be. Even the mortals had shown no reaction. _Mortals_, for the gods' sakes!

Khione didn't want to admit it, but some things just couldn't be controlled.

A flickering light glowed a few feet away in the swirling blizzard. The ice princess had a feeling she knew who it was.

"Hello, father."

"Khione, it's time to stop this. The council is displeased with your actions."

"Oh, so now the council is _displeased_." she spoke sarcastically, turning on the wind god. "And I suppose that the council's happiness has always been more important than mine."

Boreas sighed and put his fingers to his temples. "Please tell me we're not going to go through _this_ argument again."

"You turned my boyfriend into an ice sculpture and threatened to smash him to pieces! And why? Because the 'council told me to'. How bogus is that?!"

"That was three thousand years ago, Khione. He was a meaningless demigod. Why can't you be a good little minor goddess like you used to and just do what you're told?"

"I'm not a thousand years old anymore, _daddy_." she snarked back. _You're_ the one who turned me into a monster, so for once stop being a coward and face your mistake."

He stared at her silently, his face one of hard stone.

"That's right! I admit it: I'm a mistake, but I'm _your_ mistake! Man up and act like the stupid god you are for once! I'm your daughter, you pathetic excuse of a father!"

Her breaths came out hard and labored, piercing her lungs and chest. She realized that she was crying. For the first time in three thousand years the snow goddess was showing emotion.

"Besides," her voice was soft and broken, her arms hugging her upper body as tightly as she dared. "He wasn't meaningless to me."

Boreas drifted closer.

"What did Gaea promise you, Khione?" he asked gently.

"You know as well as I do." She stared in the window of the Jackson apartment. He looked just like the boy she had known once: black hair, green eyes, crooked smile. But he wasn't the same, and he never would be. The daughter of Athena had her hero, but Khione had lost her's, and he wasn't coming back.

Her father paused.

"Come home this holiday." he told his daughter. "Maybe I won't listen to the council, just this once."

She turned to the god and really looked at him. His features seemed softer than before, and Khione suddenly felt like she was seeing her father for the first time. She collapsed into his arms and looked at the small apartment one last time before they disappeared. She was kissing him. The snow goddess' chest felt tight, but it didn't hurt as much as before. The black haired goddess silently sent a prayer to the Fates that the heroes would thrive. If she couldn't have her happy ending, maybe they could.

And the ice princess's heart slowly began to melt.

**So, Happy Holy-days, everyone! (Which, by the way, is exactly what "Holidays" means.) If you're a little confused about the thing with Khione, that's O.K. I expected most of you to be. I highly doubt this is ****_actually_**** why she is the way she is, but here's my take on it:**

**About three thousand years ago Khione fell in love with a son of Poseidon and he fell in love with her. Khione offended the Olympian council and the majority of the gods voted to have the boy punished to, in turn, punish Khione; the go-to was execution. Anyway, Boreas was ordered to freeze him and procure him for the council with any force necessary. Khione got in the way, so her dad threatened to kill the son of Poseidon right then and there. Somehow Khione then convinced the council not to kill him, but, in turn, his memories were wiped of ever knowing her and she could never see him again. Gaea than promised that if Khione did as she said, the boy would be brought back to life, made immortal, and his memories would be returned to him. One of the things Khione was instructed to do was seduce and distract Jason; she had to get in his way. Piper then got in Khione's way, and the snow goddess knew that if she messed up to badly Gaea would never fulfill her side of the bargain. This is why Khione hated Piper so much. (Take note: The boy she fell in love with was not Percy; she is not in love with Percy nor is she ****_falling_**** in love with him; Gaea did not promise to give her Percy; Percy and Annabeth are perfect for each other and anyone who says anything against Percabeth to me in the reviews will be skewered by my minions.)**

**Anyway, it was just a thought I incorporated here. If anyone wants to use this idea as a story, just let me know; I'll be sure to tell the rest of the minion population.**

**Review and tell me what you guys think; I absolutely love hearing the input all of you guys give me.**

**Merry Christmas! :D**

**-8EternallyMortal8**


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